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Building racial equity into urban planning in Boston; distracted walking ban in Honolulu; and, using data to address the middle-skills job gap and create economic opportunity in Denver and Phoenix
Government Innovators Network
 
September 7, 2017
 

WHAT'S NEW


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Addressing the Middle-Skills Job Gap with Data

Innovators Insights Blog

The LinkedIn City Team has been working in partnership with Arizona State University, edX, and the Markle Foundation’s Skillful program to accurately predict and identify where the job market demand exists and build a talent pipeline. Read more>>

Honoring Nations Awards

The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development

The Honoring Nations program is now accepting applications for its 2018 awards. Since 1998, Honoring Nations has been identifying, celebrating, and sharing outstanding examples of tribal governance. Apply and learn more>>

IN THE NEWS


In Virginia, Government Workers Are Getting Job-Search Help (From Their Current Employer)

Virginia makes sure that its public-sector appointees have a smoother transition when administrations change through its unique “At-Will Transition Briefing” program. Virginia’s governor is limited to one four-year term, which means that various appointees on staff and in agencies have a short tenure and more frequent job insecurity. To ameliorate this, the commonwealth provides targeted career coaching, résumé counseling, and seminars to its appointees during the final six months of the administration. Officials note that the types of at-will employees affected by administration changeover can involve young workers not well-versed in networking as well as older workers who may not be as familiar with newer tools.

Boston’s Unparalleled Effort to Incorporate Racial Equity Into Urban Planning

Boston has announced an ambitious new plan that casts light upon and seeks to address persistent and systemic racial inequities in urban planning. Resilient Boston is part of the first citywide plan in 50 years, and views short-term “shocks” and long-term “stresses” through the lens of racial equity. The strategy includes metrics and targets aimed at addressing these different issues. The city will also use an economic mobility lab to spur efforts to grow the middle class and ease poverty as well as provide tools and education related to financial empowerment and climate risk.

City Waives Library Fines for Overdue Children’s Books Permanently

In an effort to sustain the increase in library cards issued to and material checkouts by young persons, Rochester, New York, is permanently forgiving fines on overdue children’s materials. Building upon a pilot program that began last year, the goal is to further remove barriers to reading for young people, where the prospect of fines could deter checkouts or block library privileges. The city has recorded over 20,000 additional materials being checked out and a 10-percent increase in library cards since the pilot was instituted, and has determined that eliminating fines has had no effect on return rates. Rochester has budgeted $32,000 to address the lost revenue from the fines.

Honolulu Targets 'Smartphone Zombies' with Crosswalk Ban

In a bid to increase public safety, Honolulu has become the first major US city to ban pedestrians from looking at cell phones or texting while crossing the street. “Distracted walking” is leading to an increasing number of injuries and deaths. Fines will start at $15 and go as high as $99, and can be issued if police catch pedestrians in the act. Elsewhere, London has padded some lamp posts to soften the blow for distracted walkers, and the city of Augsburg, Germany, embedded traffic signals into the ground near tram tracks to alert pedestrians looking downwards.

Miami Suburb Requires Solar Panels for All New Homes

South Miami has become the first Florida city to mandate that solar panels be placed on all new residential homes. The ordinance, which also applies to existing properties whose owners increase the square footage of a home by 75 percent or more, is modeled after similar legislation recently passed by San Francisco and three other California cities. Supporters observe that solar power reduces home ownership costs, increases home values, creates jobs, and helps reduce carbon emissions. Opponents of the measure note that residents should be able to choose whether to have solar panels and that income from utility fees would be reduced.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


Tapping Local Data to Fight Drug Overdoses: Part I and Part II

This two-part series examines cities using local data to track and combat opioid overdoses. The author reviews New York City’s interagency RxStat initiative and Cincinnati's open data approach, and then conducts an original analysis using datasets central to each strategy, providing examples of organizational and analytic methods that could help guide effective municipal responses to the epidemic.

Who Are America’s City Chief Data Officers?

The Data-Smart team has developed an interactive map that outlines the location, responsibilities, and key initiatives of municipal Chief Data Officers across the United States. This visualization outlines the state of data leadership in the US and the various forms these positions take.

BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER


What a Digital City Hall Could Be

Redesigning a government website should be about more than attractiveness and easy navigation. It's a chance to reengineer underlying processes.

ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER


Innovators Insights is the news digest from the Government Innovators Network on the latest in government innovations. This digest is sent out every two weeks and is compiled and written by the editorial staff of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. In each issue, the editorial team identifies top policy and programmatic news that is related to government innovations so that you can stay informed about creative government at its best.

Editor: Jessica Engelman
Researcher & Writer: Brendan St. Amant
Note: The stories in this newsletter link to source articles on other websites and may not be available after a certain length of time.



ABOUT THE ASH CENTER


The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world's citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Center. Additional information about the Ash Center is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.

 
 
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